Móðirin er hér.

The mother is here.

Breakdown of Móðirin er hér.

• vera: to be
• hér: here
• móðirin: the mother

Questions & Answers about Móðirin er hér.

What does the ending -in on móðirin mean?

The ending -in is the definite article (like the in English) attached to the noun.

• móðir = mother
• móðirin = the mother

In Icelandic, the definite article is normally added as a suffix to the noun instead of being a separate word like English the.

What is the base (dictionary) form of móðirin?

The base form is móðir.

Icelandic dictionaries list nouns in nominative singular indefinite, so you’d look up móðir, not móðirin.

Why is móðirin in this form here? What case is it?

In Móðirin er hér, móðirin is the subject of the sentence, so it’s in nominative case (the “dictionary form” for the subject).

• Case: nominative singular
• Gender: feminine
• Number: singular
• Definiteness: definite (because of -in)

So: móðirin = the mother as the subject.